Arm's Length
by pengooin
Summary: World War II is raging around them, and the government is beginning to pull young soldiers for the draft. Sora and Riku have been best friends for a while, but when Riku is drafted to war and Sora is left behind to attend college, what will become of their friendship? Sora misses Riku more than even he realizes. AU. Riku/Sora.
1. Chapter 1

**Title: Arm's Length**

 **Rating: M**

 **Pairings: Riku/Sora, other characters undecided**

 **Disclaimer: I DO NOT own Kingdom Hearts. Any lyrics I would normally put in the story itself will be listed as a title and artist in the Author's Notes for purposes of legality, etc etc. Disclaimers are boring. Let's move on.**

 **Author's notes: I'm back! I was on hiatus since I got this job, but I do occasionally have a life out there. I apologize for the wait.**

 **This is a boyxboy fanfiction with explicit scenes. That means that there can and will be swordfights of the penis variety. You've been warned.**

 **I will post any and all lemons (sex scenes) to my other account on a different website for purpose of FF rules. I will provide further instruction and warning if/when I decide to write them.**

 **I would like to thank Milxaliw for offering his help as my new beta! *cookie avalanche* His suggestions regarding setting and flashbacks have already been very useful to me in writing this.**

* * *

 _Early in the morning on December 7, 1941, Japanese fighter planes attacked the American naval base of Pearl Harbor near Honolulu, Hawaii. Within that same year, millions of patriotic men flocked to the fields for military combat training. If any young men out there listening have not yet enlisted their services, we are compelled to remind you that the conscription President Roosevelt signed in 1940 still stands firm, and that the drafts have drastically increased in volume since._

 _"Our present program will train 800,000 additional men this coming year, and somewhat less than one million men each year thereafter. It is a program [] of defensive preparation, and of defensive preparation only. To the sixteen million young men who registered today, I say the democracy is your cause. The cause of youth."_

The recording of President Franklin D. Roosevelt faded away, and the voice of the former radio personality returned.

 _Preparation now aside, Men between the ages of 18 and-_

Sora turned off his radio with a firm _click._ He had heard enough.

It was mid-November, 1942 and America had declared war the previous year. Most of his male friends had either volunteered or been drafted since the war began. Sora had been lucky enough to avoid it so far, but it didn't seem like he could run from it much longer, and neither could Riku for that matter.

Sora perked up, "Riku!"

He jumped up from his chair, suddenly remembering that he was supposed to meet up with his friend today. He trotted over to his wardrobe, nearly tripping over his dirty clothes strewn over the floor.

The war didn't much interest Sora. While his friends were gung-ho about protecting the world from the Nazi Regime, he was worried about the newest films and technology innovations. He preferred to focus on the happier things in life. The only other person he knew who wasn't completely consumed in war tales was his friend Riku. Riku was more of a rebel than Sora, but he was always willing to listen to Sora's strange interest in the entertainment industry; though he didn't know why, since Riku had little interest unless it had something to do with sports or vandalizing public property.

Regardless, Sora pulled on a pair of trousers and buttoned up a slightly wrinkled dress shirt. He wrapped his tie around his neck and tied it with fumbling hands, before pulling his knit long sleeve over his head.

Before leaving the manor, he frowned at himself in the mirror. Much to his parents' chagrin, he refused to cut his hair, and it naturally spiked out in all directions. It wasn't very professional looking among the wealthier groups his parents had over but he liked it, and to Sora that was all that mattered. Riku had a similar oddity about his hair, but unlike Sora, it was the length and color of Riku's hair that drew attention to him. It brushed just past his shoulders (when it wasn't tied up) and was bluish steel in color. Despite the strange style, Riku never had to make an effort to attract female attention. In fact, he often complained to Sora about how annoying it was to have women always throwing themselves at him.

Sora, though outgoing and friendly, never attracted romantic interest from anyone, but he was fine with that. The associated heartbreak wasn't very appealing to him anyway.

He bounded down the long, vaulted hallways with the energy of an eight-year-old. He was always excessively happy to see Riku, but Sora was a very energetic person to begin with. They were both eighteen and fresh out of high school, but Sora still liked to play childish games like hide-and-seek.

Luckily for his parents, he also happened to be a smart cookie.

As he vaulted the last bit of banister railing at the foot of the stairs, his stepmother heard his landing and peered around the corner from the kitchen.

"Sora, could you _please_ keep the roughhousing to a minimum? That banister is polished Ebony wood, so don't "play" with it!"

Larxene wrinkled her nose and retreated back to the kitchen without asking Sora where he was going. She didn't much care, so long as he wasn't damaging the valuables his father worked hard for her to enjoy. Her blonde hair wouldn't have been so ugly, had she not slicked it back with gel and spiked two strands up from the rest like antennae. He assumed she did that so she could sense anything remotely fun and stomp it out before it got "out of hand".

When he was sure she wasn't watching anymore, Sora stuck his tongue out and soundlessly mimicked her lecture. He rolled his eyes and slammed the door shut behind him for good measure.

He hated that vulture of a woman.

He vowed to fill her shoes with pickles later. Now, he ran down the street towards the park nearby. They always went there because Sora loved the tall slide. The railed-in landing had a great view of the sunset. The jungle gym also had a hole dug deep enough in the ground in the middle of it for them to have a private hangout. It reminded Sora of a clubhouse. As he reached the top of the hill, he saw that his friend was leaning against the jungle gym and was turning over a pack of Lucky Strike cigarettes in his hand. Sora eyed the lit cigarette in his mouth. A lot of people smoked and he had to admit Riku looked pretty badass with one either dangling from his lips or pinched between his pale, slender fingers; it reminded him of the Marlboro commercials with the rugged male models. Sora would have smoked too, if it weren't for the nasty taste it left in his mouth. He preferred his soda pop.

When he spotted Sora coming, Riku dropped his cigarette and stomped it out with his foot.

Sora ran up to him and resisted the urge to hug him. They fist-bumped instead and Riku's lips twitched up in a small smirk. Not many people got to see that kind of reaction and it always reassured Sora that he was considered a friend.

"Hey Sor."

"Hows it goin?" Sora panted a little from all the running and rubbed some sweat from his brow.

"Alright, I guess." He avoided Sora's eyes and decided to approach a subject separate from himself.

"But you're late," he flicked Sora on the nose, who grinned up at him sheepishly.

"You're one to talk Mr. No-Show. Ya know, it still amazes me how you graduated without ever showing up."

Riku shrugged, "Well, I did the work."

A smirk played on Sora's lips that Riku found hard to ignore, "Nooo, you did the _teachers."_

Sora then burst into a fit of laughter at the look of disgust that crossed Riku's face.

"Sora, Mrs. Hambershaft was _ninety_ for Chrissakes. I would've killed her."

"Yeah," Sora managed to reply between giggles as he grasped at his knees to keep from collapsing.

"But Ms. Finley _wasn't."_

"Mmm," Riku licked his lips hungrily and smirked. "You've got a point there kiddo-"

"HEY!" Sora pouted. "Stop calling me 'kiddo'. I'm older than you, ruffian."

"I'll consider it." He paused. "If you stop calling me 'ruffian'."

Sora grumbled something about "fairness" and Riku watched his friend ruminate for more than a few minutes over whether he'd accept the offer.

"Better call the fire department, I can smell your hair a'burnin."

Sora gave up on deciding, never being good at such things and crawled down into the center of the jungle gym. Riku followed him in and they sat cross-legged, facing each other.

"So, what's with the sad look? If I didn't know better, I'd say Larxene cooked that cat of yours up for breakfast."

Sora only shook his head. He thought he was good at controlling his emotions, but Riku happened to be good at knowing when his friend was worried about something. Sora saw it as a blessing and a curse wrapped in one.

"I keep hearing stuff about the war."

"So? I thought that shit didn't bother you," Riku leaned back on his palms.

"Not really. But, they started drafting people our age," Sora wrinkled his nose and stared at the small piece of ground between their feet. Riku's shoes were really worn.

Riku mouthed a silent 'Oh' and watched him for a moment before responding.

"Well, you won't have to worry about that much when you enroll in Penn State, right? They're less likely to take you if you're in college. Larxene still making you go?"

"Yeah, but I _want_ to go. Have you thought about going, Riku?"

"What? To college, or the war?"

"Either," Sora replied.

"Nah, have you looked at me recently? I scream 'low income, middle-class, war-bound, _citizen._ " He air quoted the last word and rolled his eyes.

"I told you I could get you the funding to go."

He shook his head firmly, "Not the school type."

Riku got restless and readjusted himself into a crouched position, resting his arms over his knees.

"Then, what can we do to keep _you_ out of war?"

"Nothing," he answered. "We don't."

A beat of silence. The conversation neither of them were looking forward to finally broke to the surface. Sora's fun-filled evenings with Riku could end, and soon. An empty, cold feeling washed through Sora to his core. He had an inkling it wasn't just the November air.

And, for the first time since he arrived Sora scrutinized his friend's image. His pants were lighter at the knees from working in the nearby textile factory. His collared shirt was white, and covered in sweat and dirt stains. But, the brown suspenders on his shoulders seemed to be in good condition; Sora couldn't imagine why.

His hair cascaded over his face, causing him to either tie it up or constantly be flipping it out of his eyes. Today, he left it down and Sora liked it better that way. It made him look more...rugged? He couldn't quite place it, but the way Riku looked that day just _suited_ his personality. And something about the way he was crouched low to the ground with his suspenders stretched over his shoulders and across his back...

"What are you looking at, shorty?"

Sora was ripped from his slight reverie by a cocked eyebrow and an aquamarine eye peeking out at him through a curtain of silver.

Riku was kind of...beautiful.

"...You're starting to scare me, Sora."

Sora shook his head a little too fast, "S-sorry. It's nothing."

Riku seemed confused, but let it drop and shrugged a little.

"So, can we meet up again tomorrow? I'm starting classes this Thursday so I won't have as much time after that."

Riku grimaced, "Ah, but I'm not off again until the weekend. I work tomorrow...Sorry."

The apology was genuine and made Riku want to play hooky like he used to in school. Unfortunately for the both of them, it would cost him his new job if he didn't show.

"Oh...ok," Sora tried not to let his disappointment show.

"I guess I'll see you later then," Sora got up and smiled.

"Wait," Riku caught him by the hand.

Sora blinked and looked back down at him.

"Your folks don't care if you're late. At least, Larxene won't."

Sora winced. _Yeah, thanks for that lovely reminder you ass._

Riku's face contorted into a wicked grin. This was that _we might be running from cops tonight_ kind of grin the gave Sora both a sense of dread and excitement in the same stomach movement.

Hopefully he wouldn't shit his pants. Getting nervous made him want to poop.

"I have an idea."

This time, Sora was the one looking confused.

Riku got up, brushed himself off and dragged Sora by the wrist towards wherever he was planning to take them, a new gleam in his eyes.

"Ow, hey! Riku, that hurts!"

"Come with me."

Whatever it was had him so excited, he was squeezing Sora's wrist too hard.

 _Jeez, can't you just expect me to follow you like a normal person? I stopped resisting you long ago._

Sora rolled his eyes.

* * *

 **Where's Riku taking them? If you knew what I know, you'd be pretty excited too ;)**

 **I do not own FDR quotes. Brackets indicate where an unnecessary word was removed from the FDR direct quote in the beginning of the chapter.**

 **As always, thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Title: Arm's Length**

 **Rating: M**

 **Pairings: Riku/Sora, other characters undecided**

 **Disclaimer: Copyright laws are lame, so I don't own Kingdom Hearts.**

 **Author's notes: Again, I apologize for the wait. I've never forgotten these projects; I've just been trying really hard to get through those BBS trophies and now I'M ENGAGED. HOLY CRAP. Thank you YouJustWatch and ameranthus13 for your lovely reviews :) Thanks again to my spiffy beta Milxaliw for your skills of spiffyness.**

* * *

Sora watched the trees blur by from the passenger window of Riku's rust bucket of a truck. Dusk had settled over the town and crickets had begun to chirp softly outside. He didn't know where they were going, but he liked the cool feeling of the autumn breeze on his skin. Riku always left the windows open on his truck, no matter what the weather. The only times he ever closed them were when Sora complained about the snow or the cold.

On days like this, his mind would wander to strange places and occasionally he'd fall asleep slumped over the edge of the window. The scenery at night was very tranquil. He glanced over at Riku, who seemed focused on the road ahead. He was always like that; Riku lived for the moment. Whenever Sora prodded him about his future, he had said as much.

 _"As long as I've got a little money in my pocket, food in my gut and air in my lungs, I'm happy."_

That would earn a scoff from Sora. He had to have some sort of blueprint for life in there somewhere. Everyone did. Kids, marriage, career, education... he rolled his eyes. Perhaps his take on life wasn't so bad after all, if it meant Sora wouldn't have to worry about women. Women were scary creatures.

The truck came to a sputtering halt as they reached their destination. To Sora's surprise, it was pretty close. Normally, Riku liked to drive long distances in one direction. On more than one occasion, Sora had to stop him and make him turn back.

"Are you going to tell me where we are, Columbus?"

Riku turned off the engine. He winked slowly and smirked at Sora, who grunted in response.

 _I'll take that as a no._

When Sora stepped out of the truck, he felt the weeds brush over his pant legs and mud squished under his shoes. He whipped his head around.

"Why did you bring me to a swamp, Riku?"

Riku shook his head and started traipsing through the brush. Sora struggled just to keep up and thought he'd lost him when he'd reached a clearing.

It was a small pond, and clearer than most he'd seen. The moon reflected on the calm surface of the water. The entire body of water was surrounded in similar brush. He was no agricultural expert but Sora guessed that someone was keeping the water clean, and if that were the case...

"Riku, this is someone else's property..."

As usual, his reckless animal of a friend wasn't listening. This was definitely going to be a running from the cops kind of night.

Riku shrugged out of his suspenders and started unbuttoning his shirt.

"Riku, what the hell are you doing? It's gotta be 40 degrees out here! Put your damn clothes back on!" Sora kept his voice in a harsh whisper to keep from alerting the owners.

He knew his friend to be stupid, but this was just ridiculous. He was not about to go for a swim in someone else's pond in the middle of November and catch pneumonia.

Riku's shirt fell away in one fluid motion. His pale back caught the moon's light and Sora suddenly found the ground to be a much more interesting subject to look at.

Something wrapped around his waist and gruffly yanked at the bottom of his top. Sora squealed and pulled at Riku's hands.

"What are you doing!"

"Stop squirming Sora!"

"No!"

Despite his best efforts, Sora was soon clutching at his bare abdomen and shivering in the dark. The moon hid behind some clouds and for a minute he couldn't see anything at all.

The next thing he knew, Sora felt his own body being hurled through the air like a ragdoll. Where in the world were his pants? This was the last thought to cross his mind when he felt the sting of cold water hit his back.

He broke the water moments later shivering and gasping for air.

"Riku!"

He could hear the gentle thrum of laughter somewhere behind him and wheeled around. He choked out between chattering teeth,

"That was not funny."

"Except the part where it was."

"But it wasn't."

"Puss."

"Dick."

Sora glared with the ferocity of a five year old. Riku stared back amused, with an eyebrow raised.

 _How in God's name did he manage to get my shirt unbuttoned, my pullover off, and my pants undone in the span of fifteen seconds?_

Then he realized that not only did Riku manage to strip and toss Sora like a common salad, but he had to have stripped the rest of his own attire and got in the water himself in the small window of time Sora was fighting for his life underwater.

"What-Oh God."

Sora reeled in horror and reached down in the water to check his vital parts. He sighed in relief. Underwear still intact. Still, this had to be some form of rape.

Riku laughed, this time louder and more obnoxiously so.

"You're such a girl, Sora."

Sora blushed, the redness in his cheeks thankfully lost on Riku in the dark. He really was too thin and feminine in figure to be considered a boy at first glance. Of course Riku was thin himself, but he had thick, defining muscles in his biceps and legs, and he had the kind of abs girls creamed their panties over. Sora was jealous.

"I am not."

Riku ignored him and floated on his back, "This is great right? The water's so clean, I love it here."

"Yeah, it's clean because it belongs to _someone else._ "

He stood back up in the water and made his way over to Sora.

"No it doesn't," he looked confused and Sora was about ready to hit him.

"But-"

"No, Sora it doesn't. I know what you mean," Riku sighed. "Nothing _belongs_ to anyone anywhere. You just borrow it for a while. When you die, you give it back."

"Oookay...Well I don't think they'd appreciate us 'borrowing' what they've already borrowed."

Riku touched Sora's shoulders and turned him to face the opposite direction.

"Look up Sora."

"Yeah? It's the moon," Sora rolled his eyes.

"And what do you think when you see it?"

"That's it's bright, and pretty...and...round?"

 _Annd just where are you going with this, Shakespeare?_

"Right. But, do you ever wonder who owns it?"

"No.."

"And if someone did own it, would that change your thoughts about the moon?"

"No."

"Exactly."

Sora's shoulders drooped in defeat. Damn that kid's free-loading, romantic excuses for stealing. He grappled for a retort, but couldn't find one. His head was swimming. Maybe his brain thought his body was still drowning or something. He hadn't quite felt like this before. A peculiar sadness washed over him and took his thoughts with it. _Riku. Going away._ These were the only words floating around in his head for the moment.

When he faced Riku again, he realized his friend was looking down at him expectantly; strangely. His teeth stopped chattering and when did the water get so warm? He was about 90% sure he hadn't pissed himself, but he couldn't see any other reasons why he wouldn't be freezing his buns off.

Water dripped off Riku's hair and landed on Sora's upturned face. His chest expanded slightly with each breath and glistened with moonlit drops of water. He watched one of them creep down the length of his breast...

Sora physically shook the whole scenario from his head. His remaining concern was the strange staring contest he'd unwillingly entered.

"What?"

Riku's eyes fluttered as though broken from a trance.

"Huh? Nothing."

He shrugged and dived under the water. Sora shivered again; the cold returned.

"Well, that was weird."

Suddenly, cold water splashed over his back and he screamed. He'd been attacked from behind; a renewed adrenaline pulsed through him.

"OHO, you are going to get it mister!"

Sora charged his attacker in a fury of friendly blows. Riku caught his hands easily and they thrashed about in the water for a while. The sound of spontaneous laughter echoed through the air.

"HEY!"

Both of them froze instinctively at the sound of gunfire and dogs barking. The boys looked at one another, eyes the size of dinner plates.

"Time to go!"

Riku grabbed Sora by the hand and lead them through the water back to the brush, grabbing their clothes along the way. It seemed to take longer getting through now than it did before. Sora flew after Riku, but still trailed a ways behind the other. He was never great at track.

He saw Riku reach the end and disappear to the other side. Good, he was close now.

"Aah!" He cursed and tripped over a branch. When he tried to get up, he felt resistance from behind him. He pulled again and heard a loud ripping noise. Oh no...

"Aaah! Help!" Sora yelped and stumbled forward, now free from the branches.

"Come on!" A familiar voice called out from the truck as Sora exploded from the thick brush. Seeing the passenger door already open, he hurled himself inside and they peeled out into the night.

It took a whole of 50 seconds of catching their breath before both of the boys broke into hysterical laughter again.

"Oh shit, I thought you weren't gonna make it!"

"Fuck you Riku, this is your fault! You could've got me shot! Or eaten!"

"Or raped," Riku added. This statement left Sora confused.

Riku had to pull over now, as he was crying from laughter, "Haa...HA. You haven't even noticed yet?! AHA-HAA!"

He tilted his head, "Noticed what?"

Riku could no longer speak, and only pointed to Sora's exposed member.

"JESUS CHRIST", He immediately fig leafed himself with his hands. It was fast growing from the heat of the cab and the adrenaline still coursing through his body. Riku was thoroughly amused.

"I should just drop you off like this."

"No!" Sora rooted around the cab for his clothes and pulled his pants on quickly. He pulled on his button up but left it unbuttoned and didn't bother with the pullover. Having to drive, Riku was still in his Jockey shorts. Being damp left little to the imagination, unfortunately.

 _Holy cow._

Sora decided to change the subject.

"Sooo, how are things goin at home?" Sora occupied himself with getting his shoes back on.

He was curious about Riku's home life. Riku was the mysterious type and all he knew was that his father left early on, and his mother was a sadistic bitch of sorts. He never said much about her aside from complaints about her supreme bipolar hatred for him and her long periods of absence, but Sora could tell there was something really 'off' about it. He never took Sora to his house.

Riku shrugged, "Fine, I guess."

"And your mom?"

He gritted his teeth and went quiet for a moment.

"What about her Sora?"

"She still givin' you trouble?"

He sighed, "Does Larxene give _you_ trouble?"

"Well yeah," Sora shrugged. "Every day."

"Then, there's your answer."

Sora hated it when Riku's mood darkened like this. It was probably a bad time to bring it up again, but he genuinely worried about his friend. He knew what having a crappy family was like and he wouldn't wish it on anyone.

"You know you can talk to me about it. I complain about Larxene to you all the time," Sora tilted his head.

"We're here," Riku stopped the truck in front of the manor gates.

Sora crossed his arms, "I'm not leaving until you tell me something."

He sighed, "I had a great time tonight."

"That's not what I meant."

"I know. But, she's not even worth it." He lit up a Lucky Strike and puffed it deeply. His face relaxed as he exhaled out the window.

Warmth pooled in the bottom of Sora's gut again.

"Those things taste nasty.."

Riku chuckled, "Girls don't seem to think so."

Sora wrinkled his nose and laughed, "Gross."

He shrugged and smirked, and Sora was reminded of their laughter from earlier. He'd never seen Riku smile like that before. Now he was back to his normal self, but for a while there Sora saw something he had reason to believe few people had ever seen before. He only wished Riku would share those smiles a little more often. Or maybe not. Sora kind of liked how this was just between the two of them.

"You're staring again."

"Huh? Oh, dang. Sorry." Sora blinked and shrugged a little.

Riku smiled a little to himself and puffed again. He exhaled and began to speak again,

"I got some bad news, Sora."

"Huh? What's that?"

Riku reached out in front on him and opened the rusty glove box with some difficulty. He pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Sora.

"What's this?"

"That, is an induction notice."

Sora gaped.

"I got it about a week ago. I'm supposed to be at the bus station Thursday morning."

"But-What about your job? You said you were working until this weekend!"

Riku's name was typed neatly near the top of the page under the presidential emblem. Sora tried to keep his voice from crackling. The lines of script on the page seemed to shrink and blur together.

"I lied. I wasn't going to tell anyone, but..." he trailed off. "This is my job now."

"But you don't have to go-"

"They'd can me."

"I could hide you-"

"Nah. I need a change of pace anyway."

Sora's face fell. He felt like crying.

"Gets me away from that bitch back home," Riku offered optimistically.

"But that's your solution for everything!"

"What?"

"You can't just run from all your problems, jackass!"

"Well what do you suggest, college student?"

"I dunno, but you can't just run off and die!" Sora threw his hands in the air.

"Why not?"

He couldn't believe how calm he was being about this. It was almost like Riku wanted to die.

"Because-forget it. Do what you want Riku, I can't stop you." He couldn't help but feel dejected about the whole thing. No wonder they did something crazy tonight. He didn't know when they'd be able to do things like this again.

Riku smiled and patted Sora's head, letting his hand rest there a few extra moments.

"I can write ya, if you want. You can tell me about school and stuff."

"Sure," Sora opened the car door and got out. He smiled and waved, but his heart just wasn't in it. He felt deeply betrayed and lonely. His other friends weren't nearly as fun to hang around with. But, this was Riku's decision and he happened to be right; he'd get into a lot of trouble if he tried to go against the president's instructions. Sora respected that.

So, he walked to the manor door without looking back.

* * *

The steps to the porch creaked loudly under Riku's feet. He cursed softly to himself and kicked a metal bucket sitting at the top. It flew down the steps with a loud clang. He inhaled sharply as he turned the doorknob, praying no one was home tonight.

Silence pervaded the old building and pale moonlight shined through the bare windows. His house was a lonely but comfortable place when his mother wasn't around. When she was around, it seemed more like a prison than a home. Thankfully, after a minute of uninterrupted silence, Riku determined she was out tonight. He breathed a sigh of relief and pulled the door shut behind him.

The house had only four rooms: the kitchen, the living room, one bathroom, and a bedroom. Riku wasn't allowed in the bedroom and it stayed locked most of the time. The kitchen and the living room were connected through a wide archway, so they really could be considered one room. The few tables and chairs in the room had a thick coating of dust on them. The only things Riku bothered to wipe down were the kitchen table and one of the chairs, but most often he ate on the living room couch anyway.

He worked on getting the furnace running before pulling off his damp Jockeys and draping them over a nearby end table. The same table had a small lamp, which he turned on.

His clothes were kept in a shabby wooden dresser in the far corner of the room. He put on a fresh pair of underwear before collapsing on the couch and wrapping himself up in his blanket, still shivering.

 _You can't just run off and die!_

He turned over so he was facing the couch.

 _I don't want to... I don't._

Sora was so optimistic and energetic, it was exhausting. But it was also fulfilling. Every day that Riku got out of the house and did something that didn't involve flaming trashcans was a good day.

And boy howdy, was today a good day. When he was around Sora, he didn't feel like doing anything too rash. Sora was safe and fun. He even forgot about his mom for a while, which was a rare occurrence.

"Now, if only I could find a girl like that," Riku smiled to himself.

 _Right. Good luck with that._ He snorted.

* * *

 ** _I guess I lied about uploading these at the same time as "At Dusk". Ah, well..Don't remember if I've mentioned this before, but please let me know if you find any inconsistencies with the time period setting. I try to be as accurate as possible, but I didn't live in the 1940's and I can't catch everything. Thanks for reading!_**


	3. Chapter 3

**Title: Arm's Length**

 **Rating: M**

 **Pairings: Riku/Sora, other characters undecided**

 **Disclaimer: This is the part wherein I cover my ass and run away from the sound of pitchforks.**

 **Author's notes: HOLY CRAP I apologize for the wait. The big thing is I got engaged in September. From that MOMENT forward it's been nothing but planning the wedding and getting an apartment ever since. I don't even** ** _remember_** **what having fun after work feels like anymore. I pop in a game and just sit there like "what the hell am I supposed to do with this?" We have the apartment part down I'm happy to say. Still planning a wedding for this October, but that part has smoothed over nicely as well. Now, I play the waiting on money game so I can start paying people for stuff again. Enough about me though. I'm really hoping this will make up for it. "At Dusk" is currently shelved. Hopefully I'll pick it up later. Figured you wouldn't mind.**

* * *

 _"RIKU!" The concrete made a dull thud with each pounding step. His legs raced through the air effortlessly, but felt as though they were being dragged through quick sand._

 _"RIKU WAIT!"_

 _His arms reached out ahead of him to grasp at something solid. Anything._

 _But his fingers clawed out in vain._

 _As he leaned over gasping for breath with his hands on his knees, he looked up one last time_

 _and saw Riku looking out the window. He must have just noticed Sora as the bus streamed out of sight. For one fleeting moment, he looked shocked to see him at the station._

* * *

Sora awoke with a start. Sweat creased in his brow and he leaned forward to cup his head in his hands. He stayed in that position for a full minute, gathering his thoughts before counting to himself on his fingers.

"6, 7...nine months," he leaned back, resting his head against his large mahogany headboard.

He sighed, "It's been nine months and I'm still having these dreams. What a mess.."

Sora got up from bed and tossed the covers aside. Being the messy person that he was and having a maid at his disposal, he never bothered cleaning up after himself while he was home.

It was the end of August, 1943, and the weather was giving its final scorching push of summer before fall would arrive. Sora liked all of the seasons equally, but his least favorite part of summer was the intolerable heat.

However, something about this particular summer made him retch from pure discomfort.

His father and Larxene had called him down to the extravagant dining room for a discussion the previous evening.

Dining room talks were never good talks.

"Sora darling, we have wonderful news to share with you tonight," Larxene smirked with a devilish gleam in her eyes before turning to her husband with a sweeter smile. She placed her manicured hand over Sora's, who yanked it away and started rubbing it like it had contracted a communicable disease.

His father Ronan shot him a disapproving glare, making Sora sink lower in his chair, if that were at all possible.

"We've found a very nice girl your age we'd like you to meet! Her name is Kairi.."

Sora groaned _very_ audibly.

"She's from the Rouf family, and has come all the way from France to study business here at Penn State!" Larxene leaned forward as she said the family name, as if that was Sora's cue to 'ooh' and 'aah' over some ridiculous amount of wealth.

"They design a popular line of women's clothing in Paris," Ronan added bluntly, as he pulled out a thick cigar from his front shirt pocket and placed it between his teeth.

Sora gaped on in disgust as his father idly sat by and smoked while Larxene decided his future for him.

"And I'm supposed to care about this because..."

"Because when I'm dead and gone, you have to carry on the family name and that 'hobby' of yours isn't going to do you any good," his father grunted.

"That _hobby_ of mine is called _film production_ and it can be very rewarding.."

Ronan cut him off with a laugh, "Well, 'rewarding' as it is, the movie industry is going downhill. You need a solid foundation son."

"I disagree."

Larxene snapped, "Well, you're meeting her like it or not."

"Hmmm, let me think..." Sora touched a finger to his chin.

"Not!" He stuck his tongue out at the both of them and stormed out of the room.

* * *

Of course, 24 hours later the dreaded hour finally arrived and had Sora looking like a pompous fool. His father had made him wear his jacket and tie with the shiny shoes, and slicked his hair into a nasty little comb over that would make Dracula himself crumple up like a raisin in the sun.

Who in their right mind would wear a formal jacket in this kind of weather anyway?

Sora wiped the sweat from his brow with an embroidered napkin.

He wanted to crawl back into his bed and go back to his morning dreams. Speaking of which, he hadn't heard from Riku in a couple months, and it was starting to bug him.

The afternoon sunlight beat down on him like an enormous weight as he and his parents waited for the Rouf family to arrive in the courtyard. Ronan had his tobacco products sitting out neatly upon a table nearby.

He had always asked Riku not to support his dad by buying his brand of cigarettes. Riku readily accepted this, as he preferred his Lucky Strikes anyway.

"Dad, when are they going to get here? It's so hot," Sora sat down in one of the chairs, fearing he'd pass out if he stood up any longer.

Ronan dropped an envelope on the table in front of him. Sora's head shot up, but his father refused to look at him as he spoke, "This should keep you busy. But stand up when you're done, they'll be here any minute now."

Sora gaped at the paper in front of him.

"Well? Hurry up and open it!" Ronan almost smiled through clenched teeth. He didn't like Riku at all and always told Sora to 'stay away from that ruffian', but he couldn't help the joy he felt in seeing Sora's gleam over the letters he got.

And at any rate, he had to get Sora in a good mood before he would consider going on future dates with this girl. He'd tried to match him up before, but it always ended in complete failure. Sora usually made a fool of himself by blushing, stuttering, and spilling food either on himself or the girl. As much as he didn't want to admit it, he also wanted to see his son settle down happily.

It's what his real mother would have wanted.

Ronan sighed. The death of Sora's birth mother was two years ago, and Sora hadn't been the same since. He'd always been a cheerful boy, but something in him burnt out. His smiles just didn't hold up anymore.

Sora, oblivious to his father's musings now, had torn the envelope open and was reading its contents:

 _August 10, 1943_

 _Dear Sora,_

 _The whole infantry is being moved to Oregon and we'll be arriving at the camp soon. After we get there I won't have as much time to write because we'll be training in something they're calling the "Oregon Maneuver". Rumors have been flying around that it's an intense training for combat._

 _I was hoping they'd put me in some other position outside the fighting, but it's really not looking good. I've heard we might even be shipped off to Japan after this. Bummer._

 _I'm staying positive that I'll make it home, but it might take a while. Sorry. The Japs are stubborn little bitches._

 _Oregon itself is very, very boring. There are trees, trees, trees, and grass. That's about it. It seems a little cooler out here even though it's summer. Hope you're not burning up back home. Hope your cat hasn't been cooked yet._

 _You should see my head after they shaved it. You'd probably laugh._

 _Keep writing me. I'll write back if I ever get some time._

 _-Riku_

Sora hugged the letter to his chest, making it shiver to the touch of his heart beating wildly in his chest. He was happy, sad, and worried all at the same time. Worry sat at the top of it all.

Every nightmare he'd ever had since his friend left consumed his thoughts with new ferocity.

 _What if he dies? What if I never see him again?_

He sighed and laid the letter back down on the table. Just as he peered up, Ronan gruffly yanked him up by the arm to stand.

That's when he saw her.

Her hair was a fluid, vivid red just grazing over the top of her shoulders, which were exposed in the sheer lace sleeves of her dress. Her arms and legs were very white with some scattered freckles here and there. The dress itself was simple and cream colored, which had buttons down the bosom and a belt around her fragile waist. The sheer part of the fabric at the top ended in a sweetheart neckline. She seemed to struggle over the grassy hill in her expensive wedge heels. But, her eyes really drew him. They were a soft purple, tinged with kindness.

Even though she was a rich French girl, she looked to be more of a Southern belle. Everything about her was carefully groomed and polished. But he could tell there was a non-rich girl personality in there somewhere.

Before he knew it, she was standing in front of him with a slightly amused smile. He realized he must have looked ridiculous the way he was staring.

She stretched out her manicured hand and he shook it gently, "Hello Kairi, my name is Sora."

"Pleased to meet you."

Her voice was laced with a French accent, but it soon became apparent that she was fluent in English. The families exchanged several niceties while Sora looked on, becoming bored again.

This was the first girl he felt a very physical attraction to. He wanted more than anything to put his hands on her. He trembled a little. _Randomly putting your hands on a girl would not be very appropriate._

The painful formalities continued well into the evening until after dinner, when their parents finally left them alone to go boast about incredible wealth somewhere.

"So Sora, what do you like to do in your spare time?"

Sora sat down on the porch swing next to her and scratched his head in thought, "Well, I go to the movies a lot. I used to hang around my friend Riku, but he left for the war last November."

Her eyes widened slightly, "Really? That's so brave of him, to fight for the allies like that."

 _What a stupid, automatic response._

Sora shook his head, "Not really. He had no choice in the matter."

"Oh.. I'm so sorry. You must be pretty worried about him then."

"Of course I am," Sora sighed. He was getting aggravated.

She was gorgeous. _And incredibly stupid._

Sensing this, her fingers grazed over his hand sending all coherent thought out the window.

"Is something the matter? Did I say something wrong?"

Sora thought for a long beat. He could effortlessly carry on the pointless conversation, as he did with every single girl his parents placed before him. He could hide his true self until he inevitably offended her by being a klutz. He could make up illnesses to keep from having to see her boring ass ever again.

Or, he could take a page from Riku's playbook and see right here and now if Kairi was indeed who she displayed so flawlessly. He could try for the _Casablanca_ romance he'd dreamed of.

He grabbed her hand and jerked her arm, taking her by surprise.

"Wha-"

"Come with me. There's something I'd like to show you."

Without waiting for a response, Sora led her away from the property. He led her to the playground.

Kairi had to jog to keep up with his pace. To his surprise she had no arguments. His brash actions surprised even himself. He never did anything like this with anyone besides Riku.

They reached the top of the hill and for a moment he couldn't breathe. The moonlight whitewashed the jungle gym and for a brief moment he could swear he saw Riku turning a pack of Lucky Strikes over in his hand. He smiled and disappeared.

Finally Kairi spoke, "What is it?"

He felt sad for a brief moment, then turned to face her again.

"This is where I like to play!" Sora grinned cheerily. He saw something flicker in her eyes-maybe the moonlight.

"C'mon!"

He pushed her over to the slide. She climbed up and sat down at the top. He saw her cheeks move from where he stood and he realized she was grinning.

"Go go go!" Sora came up and pushed her from behind. Her hair billowed softly behind her as she giggled down the slide.

She didn't seem to care anymore that she was wearing a dress or that anyone walking by might catch a glimpse of her panties. She didn't care about the dirty slide or the mulch in her shoes anymore.

They played tag and swung on swings and laughed like children.

After an hour Kairi was sitting back up on the slide and called out to Sora, who stood at the bottom, "We should probably go back now."

He climbed up behind her, overlapped her legs with his own and wrapped an arm around her waist.

"I know," He turned her face to his and kissed her. Her lips were very small and well shaped. He consumed them eagerly. Deciding he was being too rough now, Kairi slid through his arms and down the slide. She started running. Sora chased after her in a race to the manor.

* * *

 **Not to worry. If you read my other fanfiction, you probably already know where this relationship is headed ;) (*whispers* Straight to the dumpster)**

 **Next Time: Sora touches.**


End file.
